Opinion Formation Cards
Students build their opinion on a topic as they listen to the ideas of others. Students have evidence cards—
small cards with different points of evidence drawn from a text or texts. Students meet with other students
who have different points of evidence, read the points to each other, state their current opinions, ask
questions, and prompt for elaboration. (Zwiers, O’Hara, and Pritchard 2014)
Socratic Seminar
Students engage in a formal discussion in which the leader asks open-ended questions based on a text.
The teacher facilitates the discussion as students listen closely to the comments of others, ask questions,
articulate their own thoughts, and build on the thoughts of others. (Israel 2002)Philosopher’s Chair, Strategic Collaborative Instruction, Constructive Conversations, and Argument Balance
Scales are examples of other strategies, and there are many others.Teachers and students plan ways to assess and build accountability for collaborative conversations.
Possible items to consider include the following:
- Active Listening – Students use eye contact, nodding, and posture to communicate
attentiveness. - Meaningful Transitions – Students link what they are about to say to what has just been said,
relating it to the direction/purpose of the conversation. - Shared Participation – All students share ideas and encourage table mates to contribute.
- Rigor and Risk – Students explore original ideas, ask important questions that do not have
obvious or easy answers, and look at the topic in new ways. - Focus on Prompt – Students help each other remain focused on the key question, relating their
assertions back to the prompt. - Textual/Evidentiary Specificity – Students refer often and specifically to the text in question or to
other evidence that supports their claims. - Open-Minded Consideration of All Viewpoints – Students are willing to alter initial ideas, adjust
positions to accommodate others’ assertions, and “re-think” claims they have made.
These can be assessed on a three-point rating scale (clear competence, competence, little
competence) by the teacher and, as appropriate for their grade, the students.
Content Knowledge
Reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language are tools for acquiring, constructing, and
conveying knowledge. Students who exhibit the capacities of literate individuals build strong content
knowledge. As stated in the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy, “Students establish a base of knowledge
across a wide range of subject matter by engaging with works of quality and substance. They become
proficient in new areas through research and study. They read purposefully and listen attentively to
gain both general knowledge and discipline-specific expertise. They refine and share their knowledge
through writing and speaking” (CDE 2013, 6).
The building and acquisition of content knowledge is a dominant theme across the strands of
standards. In the Reading strand, students read a range of texts, including informational texts,
and demonstrate an understanding of the content (RL/RI.K–12, Standards 1–3) and an ability to
integrate knowledge and ideas (RL/RI.K–12, Standards 7–9). They acquire knowledge of written and
spoken language as they achieve the foundational skills (RF.K–5, Standards 1–4) and learn language
conventions (L.K–5, Standards 1–3). Other strands of the language arts, too, include attention to
content knowledge. Students acquire the vocabulary of the disciplines (L.K–12, Standards 4–6). They
learn to convey knowledge of structures, genres, and ideas as they write (W.K–12, Standards 1–3),
Essential Considerations Chapter 2 | 87